Servant of God Nagai Takashi 永井 隆

There is a new film called "All That Remains" about the life of Servant of God Takashi Nagai. A blog covering the making of the film can be found here and a synopsis of it on the Christian Film Database here. Takashi Nagai was an atheist, a brilliant scientist and a proud descendant of the samurai class who was shaken by his experience in war, moved by the devotion of his wife and the story of the Christians of Nagasaki. Most of all, he was traumatized by the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, the city with the largest and oldest Christian community in Japan. He converted to Christianity, becoming a Roman Catholic, taking the baptismal name of Paul and after the war devoted himself to the cause of peace. He earned the respect and admiration of people from around the world and was even honored with a visit by His Majesty the Showa Emperor. There are a few things about his story that I have been asked about; his accounts of atrocities in the war in Manchuria and China and his post-war advocacy of peace in light of my own firm conviction of the necessity in re-interpreting Article IX.

As for his war time experiences, many people miss the basic fact that is right in front of their faces. Takashi Nagai was serving as a doctor with the Imperial Japanese Army and was shocked by the brutality showed towards the Chinese, many of whom he treated himself. This is not surprising because war is brutal by nature and the way the war in China was conducted was particularly so because the enemy could not always be seen. They did not always wear uniforms and fight in regular battles but behaved like bandits or terrorists. In such instances, not knowing who is an enemy and who is not, it is human nature to be on guard against everyone. However, what many miss is the fact that Takashi Nagai was a Japanese doctor who treated Chinese soldiers and civilians. Those who are eager to portray Japan negatively immediately rush to point out any real or perceived misdeeds by Japanese soldiers but ignore the fact that the Imperial Japanese Army used its own medical supplies and doctors to care for the enemy as well as their own. As for his post-war activities, working for peace is a noble goal and should be applauded. That is not the same thing as trusting blindly to peace when your enemy is intent on using force. We should work for peace whenever possible but always be prepared for when there is no other option but conflict. Takashi Nagai himself was also not blind to this nor did his experience in Nagasaki make him opposed to the use of nuclear power even while he opposed the use of nuclear weapons.

Finally though, I want to point out a sharp contrast. In January of this year, I mentioned that the Catholic bishops of South Korea have been pushing for the canonization of An Jung Geun, the assassin who murdered Prince Ito Hirobumi. His cause has not progressed and hopefully the authorities in Rome will put a stop to such an obscene campaign. However, there is also a cause for the canonization of Takashi Nagai underway and his cause has progressed as he has been declared a "Servant of God" which is the first step toward being recognized as a saint. I point this out only because it speaks very well of the Catholic Church in Japan and in sharp contrast to their counterparts in Korea. The Catholics of Japan honor a man who healed others and worked for peace between all peoples whereas the Catholics of Korea honor a man who committed multiple murders and is used to foster hatred of their neighbor. It speaks very well for Japan and the Japanese can be comforted that Jesus Christ said, "blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God". He, of course, never said such a thing about assassins.

すべての人をうやまい、兄弟たちを愛し、神をおそれ、王を尊びなさい